SPECT imaging is a nuclear imaging technique using gamma rays, which can be utilized to track the distribution of a radionuclide inside a patient's body. SPECT imaging involves injecting a radiopharmaceutical into a patient's blood stream prior to the scan. The radiopharmaceuticals attach themselves to the target organ or specific cells. The injected radiopharmaceuticals emit radiation photons, which are detectable by a SPECT imaging device. The SPECT imaging shows how the injected radiopharmaceuticals are distributed in the patient's body. This distribution pattern can be used to understand how well the organs and tissues are functioning.
Conventional SPECT systems can include a gantry containing one or multiple SPECT imaging detectors, rotatable around the patient's body to generate images of gamma ray emission of the regional distribution of the radiopharmaceuticals. To achieve higher quality images, the SPECT imaging detectors must be positioned and moved very close to the patient's body. Generally, the SPECT imaging detectors are rotated in a stepwise manner around a patient's body contour, with successive adjustments in the radial and lateral position of the detectors.
There is a need in the art for a SPECT imaging apparatus that can provide stable, movable support for SPECT imaging detectors very close to a patient's body to obtain, for example, higher quality images. There is also a need in the art for a simple, durable design for a SPECT imaging apparatus.